


Brouhaha

by Drosolmire



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: 1920s, Aged-Up Character(s), Alcohol, Alternate Universe - 1920s, Gen, Gun Violence, Minor Original Character(s), Smoking, Tommy Guns, and suspenders, bullet holes kek, cocky adrien, even COCKIER marinette, here i come, mmm yess, nah who am I joking, prolly LOTS oF sin later on, prolly some sin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-06-09
Packaged: 2018-06-01 00:41:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6494080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drosolmire/pseuds/Drosolmire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brouhaha<br/>noun, "a noisy and overexcited reaction or response to something"</p><p>And the 1920's prohibition period was called the "Roaring Twenties" for a reason.</p><p>Set in 1926 in the quaint city of Missouri, two rival factions fight for the already scarce supply of alcohol that flows into their city; the Lucky Ladybug Mafia and The Black Cat speakeasy.<br/>Conflicts arise and bad blood is developed between their two leaders; as if smuggling alcohol wasn't hard enough of a task.</p><p>Rated M right now, and the rating will be changed accordingly as the story progresses. Relationships and characters will be changed accordingly as well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel a new work brewin' from inside of me, friends!  
> (Get it, brewing? Like alcohol and this is-  
> Forget about it, I'm sorry)

“You think the boss would settle for this coffin varnish?!” taking the bottle from the younger man’s hand and proceeding to throw it to the ground, Walter grit his teeth when a firm hand had made its way to stop him from actually doing so.

“Calm down, Walter,” the man who held onto Walter’s hand stared him down, making Walter pull his arm away and groan.

“Fine! But don’t go cryin’ to me when the boss whoops yer asses,” Walter gripped tightly onto the bottle and made his way away from the crowd; his back shrinking and shrinking as everyone else watched him go.

“Was that all you could get your hands on?” the man who had stopped Walter from throwing the bottle to the ground inquired while scanning the faces of everyone in his company; settling his eyes on one of the younger men when he had seen him open his mouth to speak.

“Aye, sir,” the younger man gulped audibly, stepping forward as he raised his index finger while he spoke “That’s all we could grab before those damn _Cats_ came along,”

“Cats?” the older man raised an eyebrow curiously “You mean the ones working for that drugstore cowboy Agreste?”

A collective nod went around their company and the elderly man sighed in disbelief as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Let’s go,” he beckoned for the others to follow after him “Pray and hope that the boss is in a good mood, boys,”

“And don’t go squealing about them Cats to her, either,”

 ---

“H-here ya are, boss,” Walter stuttered as he handed the bottle towards the woman reclining in her seat, gulping audibly when she had glared at him.

Swiftly taking the bottle from his hand and cocking it open, Marinette took a quick swig before retching a second or two later.

“Tastes like horseshit,” she deadpanned while tossing the bottle towards Walter “If you don’t have anything good for me to drink then don’t bring anything at all, _capisce_?”

Nods of agreement went around and the woman jerked her head to the side, signalling for everyone to go their way.

Walter spluttered his thanks and rushed off, hugging the bottle tightly as he left establishment; soon followed by everyone else.

“Ivan,” Marinette cleared her throat and caught the attention of the largest man in the room “Stay for a while,”

Nodding in agreement, the large man crossed his arms as he watched his companions leave; turning to look at the reclining woman when he had seen the elderly man exit establishment.

Making his way towards Marinette, Ivan wordlessly asked for what she wanted; to which she had replied with a smile.

“What _exactly_ happened out there?” crossing her arms and legs with eyebrow raised, Marinette’s smile vanished from her face and Ivan blinked a few times; seemingly undeterred by her seriousness.

“The rumrunner came by exactly as you told us,” Ivan started and did not break eye contact with the woman “But then some Cats came along before we could take anymore moonshine,”

“You mean Agreste’s boys?” Marinette’s expression turned sour and she pursed her lips when Ivan had nodded in agreement for an answer “I see,”

“Where’d you get the alcohol?” the woman’s posture straightened and she had this dangerous glint in her eyes. Ivan knew that his boss was cooking up something _bad_.

“By Big Muddy-“ Ivan gulped audibly “Like you told us so,”

Donning an eerie grin, Marinette shot up from her seat and turned towards the back of the room, surveying the cacophony of weapons sprawled here and there as she tapped at her chin whilst humming.

“Call the boys,” she smiled as she took her favorite automatic rifle that sat idly on the table in front of her, removing the magazine to inspect if it still housed ammunition.

“Quit lollygagging!” turning around with a dangerous smile on her face, Marinette reclined on the table behind her, resting the gun on her shoulder as her smile grew ever wider when Ivan had muttered his apologies before making his way out of the establishment.

“ _Damn that Agreste_ ,”

 ---

“This is mighty fine stuff, boss!” Nino looked on with awe as he eye each and every alcohol bottle in the crate, licking his lips and reaching for one before getting his hand slapped by Adrien.

“We drink later,” the blond commanded with a smile “These _are_ for my lovely patrons after all-“

“B-boss!” a young man scrambled through the doors and fell to the ground, making Adrien and Nino rush towards him.

“I-It’s those Lucky Ladybugs!” he exclaimed as Nino helped him stand up.

“The Ladybugs, huh?” tapping at his chin and shaking his head, Adrien frowned “Where are they?”

“B-by Big Muddy, boss!”the young man seemed hysterical “They shot at everyone and are smuggling _our moonshine_ away!”

Gritting his teeth, Adrien stormed towards the doors and pushed them aside “Get everyone ready, Nino!”

The blond ascended the stone steps and made his way to a secret room filled to the brim with weapons and ammunition; taking a silver revolver that hung by the middle of the room and pocketing it, Adrien felt his eye twitch and a grin creep up his face.

“ _Damn that filthy Easterner_ ,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed that!  
> I'm not entirely sure if my 20's lingo is portrayed properly or not; but I sure hope it is, friends!  
> I'm going to put a little dictionary here at the end of every chapter for y'all interested in the terminologies!
> 
>  **coffin varnish/moonshine:** alcoholic beverage  
>  **drugstore cowboy:** a well dressed man who loiters around in public areas trying to pick up women  
>  **capisce:** got it?/understand?  
>  **rumrunner:** someone who smuggles alcohol between borders  
>  **Big Muddy:** the Missouri river  
>  **lollygagging:** messing around/slacking
> 
>  _Heavily_ inspired by this webcomic! Friends, if you've got time to spare then I suggest checking it out!  
>  http://lackadaisycats.com/index.php


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A scuffle between the two factions leads to Adrien's loss of face and alcohol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go, second chapter up, friends!  
> I'm trying to get as much of this story out while I still have the time, so I'd like to apologize in advance if the updating of the story lessens in the coming days.
> 
> Anyway, read away, friends!

Agreste.

That name held meaning in the quaint city of Missouri; for it belonged to none other than Gabriel Agreste.

Gabriel Agreste was one of the most influential people of his time; a veteran who participated in The Great War around a decade ago. He came back with a limp and was colder and more distant than before he had left.

News of his wife dying to polio on his return didn’t help, either. Gabriel had become so unattached to the people around him that he had unconsciously crucified himself to his death.

“ _What’s the point?_ ”

Those were the last words that he had said to his son, Adrien, before Gabriel had locked himself up in his study. Neglecting to eat three square meals a day had exponentially deteriorated his health; which inevitably led to his passing.

His riches were passed onto Adrien, his son; and for two years, the heir to the Agreste name had seemingly disappeared from Missouri.

Two years have passed and the name Agreste had been shaken off as a myth; because the name felt so surreal to the inhabitants of Missouri.

But then, he came back.

Adrien Agreste; with posse following him closely behind while he donned a confident smile on his face.

The people of Missouri were fearful for the arrival of the blond; for they thought that _another_ gang had decided to take residence in their quaint little city.

For the “Lucky Ladybug” Mafia had just occupied their land space around a year and a half prior; but the Agreste boy seemed to bring fortune instead of misfortune.

Setting up a small pawn shop at the heart of the city, Adrien loaned money to the people who needed it. Not a man to incessantly ask for his payment, because he knew the state that the city was in; he knew the state of the people that lived in the city that he was in-

In his city.

The city of Missouri flourished at the arrival of Adrien Agreste. More business came along when news of this big cheese seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

But there’s just so much space for two factions to occupy in the quaint city of Missouri; and their leaders wanted to do something about it.

 ---

“What happened here?!” Adrien growled as his eyes frantically scanned the carnage in front of him. People under his employ were badly wounded with blood gushing out of the bullet holes riddled on their bodies while screams of agony and pain resounded through the war torn air.

“It was those damned Ladybugs, boss!” one of the better off lackeys spoke up with a quiver in his voice “Th-they came out of nowhere and open fired on us!”

“Nino, Tom,” jerking his head towards the injured, Adrien checked the barrel of his revolver to make sure that it had bullets “Get these men back to The Black Cat and treat their injuries,”

“Rudolph, Wesley, with me!” the blond growled as he jumped over the makeshift barricade that his men had created, taking aim on a Mafioso and shooting him square in the chest.

“It’s Agrest-“ the man who Adrien shot was silenced when Rudolph had shot him multiple times in the face.

“Where is that Ladybug?” Adrien squinted his eyes and his frown grew deeper when he had seen the raven haired woman stand on top of the crates of smuggled alcohol on the smuggler’s ship; laughing hysterically as she emptied the magazine of her automatic rifle onto Adrien’s lackeys.

“Wesley, go take care of her goons!” the man nodded in agreement as he rushed towards Adrien’s right, opening fire on any Mafioso that came across his path.

“Rudolph, go back to the barricades and switch out with Nino-“ Rudolph mock saluted before making a run for the makeshift covers.

Cocking the safety switch of his revolver, Adrien relieved himself of the growing crick on his neck; ambling forward to confront “Ladybug”.

 ---

“Looks like Agreste is a no show, huh?” Marinette smirked as she removed the empty magazine from her browning automatic rifle, throwing it towards one of Adrien’s men and hitting them on the head.

Leaping off of the crates that she was standing on, the raven haired woman leaned on the wood of the crate and took a fresh cartridge from inside of her coat, locking and loading it onto her gun.

“You okay, boss?” Ivan ducked just in time as a bullet had whizzed by, which disheveled his hair a bit.

“Butt me,” Marinette outstretched her hand with a smile, making Ivan hastily drop his gun and reach frantically for something in his pockets.

Taking out a small pack of cigarettes from inside of his coat, Ivan quickly took a single stick and placed it in Marinette’s hand; placing the pack inside one of his pant pockets before fishing through them for a box of matches.

Placing the cigarette at the edge of her lips, Marinette closed her eyes as she waited for Ivan to light it for her, smiling contentedly when she had smelled the familiar scent of burning tobacco.

Taking the cigarette in between of her right hand’s index and middle finger, the raven haired woman inhaled deeply through her mouth and smiled slightly; smoke slowly wafting out of the edges of her mouth.

Leaving the cigarette inside of her mouth and shooting up from her position, Marinette leapt onto the crate that she was on earlier and started raining hell once more.

“You think pretty boy’ll come?” she screamed the question at Ivan and her eyes widened in disbelief when she had seen someone rushing towards them; someone familiar.

“Agh! It’s that billboard that’s always hanging around with Agreste!” Marinette growled as she watched Nino rush past most Mafioso with double Colts in hand, easily offing most of Marinette’s lackeys with one or two shots to the head, torso, legs or any two combinations out of the three.

Stopping a few meters in front of the raven haired woman, Nino smirked confidently as he pointed both of his guns towards Marinette, reaching for his hat and scurrying off when Ivan had started shooting at him.

“Psh, damn show off,” Marinette couldn’t deny Nino’s skill with those double Colts of his but she was really peeved by that shit-eating grin he had on his face whenever he taunts his enemies.

“Of course I’d come,” an all too familiar voice rang through both Marinette and Ivan’s ears and they quickly turned around to see Walter falling to the ground with a bullet hole through his chest.

“I mean, it’d be rude if I stood you up-“ Adrien gave the two Mafioso a half-smile and pointed his revolver towards Marinette “ _Baby_ ,”

Snorting and jumping off of the crate that she was standing on, Marinette confidently sashayed towards Adrien; her gun resting on her shoulder “That’s bushwa, you _cake-eater_ ,”

Lowering his gun to his side and shrugging, Adrien didn’t move an inch from where he stood, and instead decided to follow Marinette using his eyes only.

“I mean, if you just gave me a chance, doll, I’m sure I can show you one hell of a good time,” grinning widely when he had heard Marinette stifle a laugh, the blond saw a glance of Nino at the corner of his eye and quickly drew his gun, shooting at Ivan but only managing to graze his shoulder.

Rushing towards the crates of alcohol in front of him, Adrien huffed as he heard Ivan and Marinette open fire on him; counting to three before he left his cover and smiling when he had seen Nino rush towards Marinette’s bodyguard.

Knocking Ivan over, Nino stuck his tongue out as he pistol whipped the large man using both of his 45 caliber Colts. Standing up and pointing one gun towards Ivan on the ground and the other to Marinette, Nino smirked that signature smirk of his.

“Drop the gun,” Adrien ordered Marinette and she growled at the blond; lowering her gun to the ground slowly and eyeing the two men carefully.

As soon as her automatic rifle had made contact with the wooden floor, Marinette quickly lay on the ground and started shooting at Nino; her bullets ripping through the edges of his clothes as Ivan suddenly stood up and head-butted him.

Adrien quickly turned towards Ivan and Nino and cocked his revolver to shoot, but relented when he had almost shot Nino. Rushing towards the two, Adrien kicked Ivan behind the knee, making the large man kneel to the ground.

Pointing the revolver to Ivan’s head, Adrien huffed “Drop your damn gun, Ladybug!-“

The blond’s eyes widened in disbelief when he had seen Marinette pointing her rifle at Nino’s back; poking at Nino using the nozzle of her rifle with unnecessary force made the bespectacled man kneel onto the ground as well.

“Looks like we’re at an impasse, _Agreste_ ,” Marinette mimicked the blond’s half smile and smacked the back of Nino’s head using the butt of her rifle.

“Let mine go and I’ll let yours go,” the raven haired woman spitted the cigarette in her mouth away and raised an eyebrow curiously when Nino had laughed.

“Blow that damned zozzled bimbo’s brains off, boss!” groaning in pain when Marinette had smacked the back of his head again, Nino snorted.

“Don’t worry about me, boss!” Nino smiled “Ladybug don’t got the balls to bump me off-“

“Mainly ‘cause she don’t got any balls in the first place!”

Nino felt his jaw drop when he had seen Adrien pull his revolver away from Ivan’s back, raising his hands up in a surrendering manner. The blond glared at Marinette “Let him go,” he growled, which earned him a smile from the raven haired woman.

“Boss!” a Mafioso suddenly came out of nowhere and huffed “We got all the moonshine!”

“Alright, let’s blouse, boys!” Marinette screamed out, kicking Nino in the stomach before leaping on the crates behind her.

“It’s been a whoopee, Agreste,” tipping her hat mockingly at the blond, Marinette leapt off the crates and ran off, a hysterical laugh escaping her lips as Ivan followed closely behind her.

“B-boss!” Rudolph fell over and scrambled to stand on his feet “Th-they took all of it!”

“Th-the moonshine, they took all of-“

“I know,” the blond sighed exasperatedly as he dragged his hand downward his face “How are the others?”

“E-everyone’s been accounted for,” Rudolph was still a bit shaken “Jim didn’t make it back to the joint, though-“

Adrien shook his head “Jim from a few blocks down?”

“Aye, boss,” Rudolph nodded his head vigorously, taking off his hat as he fiddled with it in his hands.

“Let’s go back,” Adrien looked up to the darkening sky “It’s getting late,”

“You jake, boss?” Nino pocketed his hands inside of his pants and felt guilt creeping up to his system. If he hadn’t been caught hostage by Ladybug, Adrien would’ve had her in the palm of his hand.

Nodding wordlessly, Adrien gestured with his head “You go on ahead; I’ll clear things out with the rumrunner over here,”

Holding onto his hat as he gave a weak smile at Adrien, Nino leapt off of the boat and rushed towards the makeshift barricade, helping one last injured person up.

Sitting on a nearby crate, Adrien gripped tightly onto the handle of his revolver and grit his teeth so hard that he felt that they would shatter.

Stopping himself from pulling the trigger so as not to alarm anyone in the vicinity, Adrien shot up from his seat and pocketed his gun; combing back his hair using his hand as he made his way to the captain of the vessel; hoping that he’d be able to explain what had transpired earlier properly.

Marinette’s smug smile before she left flashed through his mind’s eye, and Adrien felt his blood boil.

“Damn that half-seas over Easterner,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed that!
> 
>  **The Great War:** World War I  
>  **big cheese:** an important person  
>  **butt me:** I'd like a cigarette  
>  **billboard:** a flashy person  
>  **baby:** sweetheart  
>  **bushwa:** shortened version of "booshwash"; which are both a softer version of "bullshit"  
>  **cake-eater:** a lady's man  
>  **doll:** an attractive woman  
>  **zozzled/half-seas over:** shitfaced  
>  **bimbo:** macho man  
>  **bump off/bump me off:** to murder/ to kill off (bump me off = kill me off)  
>  **let's blouse:** let's go!/let's blow this popsicle stand!  
>  **whoopee:** wild fun  
>  **joint:** speakeasy/gin mill/secret place where alcohol is illegally distributed and drunk (a.k.a The Black Cat)  
>  **jake:** okay (everything is jake = everything is okay)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A calm before the storm; our faction leaders have contrasting reactions to the scuffle that had just occurred, but alcohol always wins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, friends, update!  
> So sorry about the late update; things have started getting hectic once more on my end.  
> Without further ado, read away, friends!

“That damned Easterner piece of shit!” Adrien gruffly took off his not so immaculate white coat and threw it away haphazardly to the side, hissing in irritation as he saw a blotch of blood on the side of his stomach.

Quickly lifting up his grey vest followed by the plain cotton shirt underneath it, the blond raised an eyebrow curiously when he had seen no wound to supply the blood stain on his clothes.

“Prolly from the Mafioso’s,” Nino interjected as he eyed Adrien’s side with a slightly confused look on his face “Thankfully you didn’t get hit, boss,”

Grunting in irritation, Adrien lowered his shirt and vest as he stormed further inside of his speakeasy; his patrons eyeing him with concern as he hopped over the counter and took a glass from underneath it.

“You goin’ to the dip the bill, boss?” the elderly bartender raised an eyebrow lazily, to which Adrien replied with a glare.

“What does it look like?” the blond took a random bottle from the shelf behind him and proceeded to open it, pouring some of its contents into the glass that he had taken from underneath the counter.

The bartender raised his arms up slightly in a surrendering fashion and backed away a few steps, eyeing the blond carefully.

“Is the boss okay?” the bartender asked in a hushed tone, earning him a sigh from Nino who had just arrived by the counter.

“He’s pretty… _irritated_ about Ladybug,” the bespectacled right hand man whispered back and the bartender nodded his head slowly in an agreeing manner.

“Did she steal our John again?” crossing his arms, the bartender reclined on the countertop behind him.

“Yes,” Nino gulped audibly when he had seen Adrien down his third full glass of alcohol.

“No wonder the boss is so angry,” shrugging, the elderly bartender followed Nino with his eyes.

“H-hey boss, m-maybe you should sto-“ Nino pursed his lips instantly when Adrien had turned to glare at him.

The blond unbuttoned a few buttons on his vest and shook his head slowly; placing the bottle on top of the counter and exiting through the small door situated to his left “I’m going to sleep this off,”

Trudging away, everyone in the room eyed Adrien as his figure completely disappeared when he had exited through the double doors.

An awkward silence fell upon the whole room and Nino tapped on the wood of the counter using a glass half-filled with alcohol.

“This isn’t the mood to be had when we’re tipping a few, right?!” the bespectacled man smiled widely as he watched the patrons bellow and whistle with excitement; making the room erupt into cheers.

 ---

“Don’t drink all of the moonshine, y’hear!” Marinette bellowed with a smile on her face, drinking straight from the bottle that she was holding and laughing along with her lackeys when they had screamed back in amused agreement.

Exiting through the door behind her and ascending the steps from her basement hideout, the raven haired female stretched her hands upward and gingerly placed the bottle on top of the store counter.

Taking off her hat and placing it beside the bottle of alcohol, Marinette raised an eyebrow slightly as she squinted her eyes to examine the label of the alcoholic beverage.

Stifling a yawn and taking off her coat, the raven haired woman took the pack of cigarettes Ivan had given her when they returned from the Missouri river earlier from one of her pant pockets; taking one into her mouth and lighting it with a match she got from a matchbox by the counter.

Taking a lungful of smoke and smiling slightly as she let it escape from the edges of her lips, Marinette took the neck of the bottle in her hand and took a long swig; choking slightly when someone had cleared their throat.

“Smoking isn’t allowed inside the store, dear,” standing by the doorway to Marinette’s immediate right, the person who had just made their presence known shook her head slowly.

“Ma,” the younger raven haired woman smiled nervously; throwing her cigarette to the ground and stomping on it with her boot “You’re up pretty late,”

“Well, your friends down there are having quite a blow,” Sabine smiled as she walked towards her daughter; the older woman’s face softening a bit as she held Marinette’s face in both of her hands.

“You look tired,” Sabine furrowed her brows a bit “I could watch over your boys for the night and you could go get some sleep-“

Marinette pushed her mother’s hands away and placed her hands on Sabine’s shoulders “I can handle it, ma,” the younger raven haired woman smiled as she pulled her mother into a hug “Thank you,”

 ---

“Ladybug!” Adrien screamed out as he shot up from his bed covered in sweat. The blond breathed erratically as his mind raced with images of the events from yesterday.

Groaning as he jumped off of his bed, Adrien stormed away from his room and felt even more irritated when he had noticed no one manning the counter of his quaint pawn shop.

Discreetly looking around and quickly going through a hidden door, Adrien rushed downward the stone steps and slammed the double doors open; making the sole occupant of the room stir in his sleep.

Tapping his foot and breathing through his nose, Adrien cleared his throat.

No response.

“Nino,” the blond spoke in a commanding tone, but all he got was sleepy mumbling from the bespectacled man.

“ _Nino_ ,” Adrien growled a bit and felt his eye twitch when Nino had turned to look at him.

“Oh, mornin’,boss!” the bespectacled man sat up from his sleeping position and stifled a yawn “What time is it?”

Raising his wristwatch towards his face in a slow and agonizing manner, Adrien grit his teeth “Ten past nine, you lollygagger!”

Nino’s eyes widened in realization when Adrien had screamed at him, making the bespectacled man reach for his hat beside him and stumbling away; tripping on himself from time to time before Adrien finally heard the click from the hidden door.

Sighing in disbelief, Adrien made his way to the counter and found a glass half full.

“I’ll get you someday, Ladybug,” he muttered, raising the glass into the air before downing it in one go.

 ---

Tapping his pencil on the wood of the countertop, Nino bit at his lower lip as he filled up the day’s inventory sheet “Hmm,” he muttered, feeling irritated when the numbers had started clouding up his mind.

“Aghh!” the bespectacled man screamed in irritation, pulling at his hair and blinking a few times in surprise when the bell by the door had rung when a customer had abruptly come in.

“Good mornin’,” the one who entered the pawn shop was a woman of average height; her slightly dark complexion contrasting the bright and colourful dress that she wore.

The spectacles that adorned her face gave a small glint to her eyes, and the hat that she paired with her cheaters gave off an air of mystery. She smiled when Nino had made no attempt to respond “Good mornin’,” she repeated as she stifled at giggle when Nino had started stuttering.

“Good morning, miss Alya!” Adrien came out from the storage room with a smile on his face “What can I do for you on this lovely day?” the blond leaned on the counter and discreetly nudged Nino with his elbow.

“Oh, I was just wonderin’ if you have any Brownies in your possession?” Alya tilted her head to the side slightly, smiling mischievously at the frozen Nino.

“W-w-we d-don-“ Adrien cleared his throat and hissed in slight irritation at the inability of his friend to speak properly.

“We don’t, so sorry ‘bout that miss Alya,” the blond stood up from his leaning and shrugged “Perhaps another day, yeah?”

Alya’s face fell slightly and she nodded in agreement “I see,” turning to leave the store, Alya smiled and waved at the two men.

“Thanks a bunch, mister Agreste,” opening the door and stopping just before she stepped out of the building, Alya turned around with a devious smile “ _Nino_ ,” she winked before closing the door behind her.

The two men stood dumbstruck at what the woman had just done and an excited sound akin to a pot boiling with water escaped from Nino’s lips.

“B-boss, she just winked at me,” the bespectacled man placed his hands on his face; a look of pure disbelief graced his features.

“ _She winked at me_ ,”

Punching Nino on the shoulder, Adrien stifled a laugh “Stop actin’ like a Joe Brooks with a crush,”

“Plus don’t call me _boss_ during the day,” the blond sounded slightly serious at the end but couldn’t help but laugh at his still shocked friend.

“Why don’t you ask her out on a date?” Adrien snickered at the violent reaction from Nino; which was composed of the bespectacled man blathering complaints about himself, excuses about himself, and how Alya would never stoop to his level.

“It’ll just end up as a flat tire,” Nino explained as he bit at his lower lip, sighing in disbelief as he stared back at the inventory sheet that he was filling up just a few minutes ago.

“You’ll never know unless you try, you goof,” Adrien punched Nino again on the shoulder, albeit in a lighter manner than before.

Hopping over the counter and cracking his knuckles, Adrien took the inventory sheet from Nino and pulled out a few dollar bills from his pant pocket “Now go buy us some breakfast, you lollygagger!”

“I felt fried when I woke up this mornin’-“ the blond furrowed his brows a bit “Yet I don’t remember nibbling one,”

“Yeah, about that,” Nino rubbed at the back of his head and was about to speak but was cut off from his words when Adrien had shook his head.

“Tell me about it after you’ve bought us some bread,” waving his hand dismissively, Adrien nodded “Go on, scram!”

Nino took his hat from the coat hanger by the door and exited the store, rushing off towards a nearby bakery that he knew of.

 ---

Rushing into the bakery and stopping at the counter, Nino bent down slightly and placed both of his hands on his knees.

Shooting up from his position with a smile on his face, the bespectacled man beamed “Mornin’ mister Dupain!”

The large man who manned the counter raised an eyebrow curiously at the new arrival; his mouth quickly forming into a smile when he had recognized the bespectacled customer “Ah, Nino!”

Leaning on the counter but still easily towering over Nino, the large man waggled his eyebrows “So, what can I get for you?”

“Just the usual,” Nino’s eyes wandered off to the side when he had seen someone enter the premises “Mornin’ miss Cheng!” the bespectacled man greeted with unchanging enthusiasm.

“Good morning, dear,” Sabine went over to the counter and placed the tray of freshly baked bread on top of it “Care to give our new recipe a try?”

“Don’t mind if I do!” the bespectacled man took a piece of bread from the tray and started juggling it into the air, catching the piece of bread deftly each and every time.

“Careful, dear, it’s hot,” the raven haired woman stifled a giggle as she watched Nino play around with the bread for a few seconds before finally grasping it with one hand and giving the food item a generous bite.

Nino’s eyes lit up and he beamed “This is the bee’s knees miss Cheng!” the bespectacled man turned to look at mister Dupain and nodded his head in excitement “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble I’d like two of these along with my usual, mister Dupain!”

 “Coming right up, then!” the large man turned around and took a paper bag from a container filled with paper bags; filling the bag with certain bread items that mister Dupain knew was Nino’s “usual”.

Turning around and taking two pieces of bread from the tray that Sabine had brought in, the large man folded the opening of the paper bag skilfully and sealed it.

Handing the paper bag to the bespectacled man, mister Dupain smiled “Here you are,”

Taking the paper bag into his hand and fishing for the payment from his pant pockets, Nino smiled widely when he had handed the money over to the large man.

Cashing in the payment, mister Dupain gave Nino his due change and leaned on the counter “Don’t be a stranger now,” he and Sabine waved Nino off, to which the bespectacled man replied with a wave of his own.

“Thanks a whole lot, mister Dupain, miss Cheng!” pushing the door open with his back, Nino swiftly turned around and bumped into someone; quickly catching the bag of bread with his left hand as he reached out with his other hand to whoever he had bumped into.

“I-I’m sorry!” a feminine voice entered Nino’s ears; blinking his golden eyes a few times when it had made contact with brilliant blue ones.

Beaming, Nino pulled the woman up “Miss Marinette!” letting go of her hand and rubbing at the back of his head nervously, the bespectacled man smiled apologetically “Sorry ‘bout that,”

The raven haired woman shook her head and squeaked “N-no, it’s fine!”

As Nino lowered his hand, his eyes caught a glimpse of the time on his wristwatch and his free hand suddenly shot up towards his hat.

“Shit, I got to blow!” rushing off from the store, Nino waved at Marinette and screamed “Sorry for bumpin’ into ya!”

The raven haired woman waved at Nino shyly, turning towards the door to their bakery and stopping her hand before she made contact with the knob.

Marinette thought long and hard about the familiarity she felt with Nino; and it wasn’t due to the fact that the bespectacled man was a regular at their bakery.

Shaking her head, Marinette dismissed the thought and made her way inside of the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, I hope you guys enjoyed that!
> 
>  **dip the bill/nibble one/nibbling one/tip a few/tipping a few** : have a drink/ having a few drinks  
>  **John** : popularized personification for bootleg alcohol  
>  **blow** : "crazy party" as used by Sabine or "to leave" as used by Nino  
>  **cheaters** : eye glasses  
>  **Brownie/s** : simple box cameras that had fixed-focus lenses and single shutter speeds; popularized for its reasonable pricing for its time and ease of use  
>  **Joe Brooks** : student  
>  **crush** : same usage as today  
>  **flat tire** : a dull or disappointing date  
>  **goof** : ~~A-hyuck!~~ a bumbling person  
>  **fried** : drunk  
>  **scram** : asking someone to leave immediately  
>  **bee's knees** : extraordinary person, thing or idea (thing in this case)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The police come by for a visit, and it would seem that Agreste is one of their _patrons_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again, friends; and what better way to come back than updating all of my stories in one go!  
> I am very sorry for my inactivity as of late; things have gotten very hectic and I needed to go double time.  
> Here we go, friends, back to the gun slinging and booze drinking!

“Boss, I’m back!” Nino made his way inside of the pawn shop with the food he had bought in his hands. Rushing over to the counter and placing the bag of bread on top of it, the bespectacled male huffed a few times.

“Finally,” the blond dropped the pencil that he was holding and jumped above the counter “I’ll go make us some Joe,” Adrien opened the door to the counter’s right and went inside whilst whistling.

Taking the item inventory and placing it in front of him, Nino took the pencil that his boss had dropped and continued where the blond had left off.

Humming as he filled out the piece of paper, the bespectacled male smiled when he had reached the bottom part of the sheet; slightly throwing the pencil on the counter as he turned around to recline on the wood of the countertop.

Nino’s smile was wiped off of his face when the door to the pawn shop had swung open, the bell ringing rather loudly from the force exerted alone by the one who had just entered.

“Welcome to the Cat’s Paw,” the bespectacled man greeted as he tipped his hat to the two newcomers “What can I do for you two fine coppers?”

Readjusting his glasses and gritting his teeth a bit, the shorter of the two newcomers forced himself to smile “Mister Nino,”

“Officer Armistead,” Adrien’s right hand man replied with a snarky smile “Again, what can I do for you two?”

Presenting his badge per routine, the bespectacled officer snarled “Max Armistead, private investigator of the Missouri police department,”

“This is my colleague, Kim Hwang,” gesturing to his taller and unmistakably Eastern companion, Max cleared his throat while Kim had shuffled through his pockets to fish for his own badge; showcasing it to Nino like what Max had done earlier.

“We are here investigating about the… _ruckus_ from last night,” readjusting his glasses once more and pocketing his badge, officer Armistead raised an eyebrow challengingly “Care to tell us what _exactly_ happened?”

Nino raised an eyebrow as response and shrugged “I’m balled up,” shrugging and leaning on the counter even more, Nino shook his head “Don’t know from nothin’ from last night’s ‘ruckus’,”

Gritting his teeth and feeling his eye twitch, Max shook his head and composed himself; looking straight at Nino with unrelenting eyes “Chin music, is all,”

“Mhm,” crossing his arms and nodding in a slow manner, Nino smiled a bit; jumping slightly in surprise when the door to his left had suddenly swung open.

“I got the Joe, Ni-“ Adrien stopped in his tracks when he had seen the two officers, blinking his eyes a few times before smiling widely.

“Officer Armistead!” the blond placed the two cups of coffee by the countertop “Officer Hwang!”

Adrien stood in between of Nino and the two police officers “What brings you two to my humble lil’ hock shop?”

“We were just passin’ by, mister Agreste,” officer Armistead tipped his hat at the blond, then turned to look at Nino with a scowl “Have a pleasant day, gentlemen,” turning around and ambling slowly to the door with his hands behind his back, Max pushed the door open using his foot.

“So sorry for the intrusion,” readjusting his glasses as Kim passed through the door, Max stopped in his tracks when Adrien had cleared his throat.

“Perhaps you ol’ bulls would care to have a cup of Joe before you went on your rounds?” the blond took the mugs that he left by the counter and went over to the door with a large smile “It would be rude not to accept,”

Max looked at the coffee and shook his head “I’ve always preferred tea, mister Agreste,” tipping his hat once more, the bespectacled officer smiled slightly “Good day,”

As the two officers got into their vehicle and rode away, Adrien snorted “What did those damned coppers want?”

“They were askin’ about last night, bo-“ Adrien raised an eyebrow in an unimpressed manner which made Nino smile nervously “Mister Agreste,”

Looking out the window to make sure that the two officers were gone, Adrien walked towards the counter “What did you tell them?”

“Nothin’,” the bespectacled man shrugged “We were just beatin’ our gums,”

“Hmm,” Adrien shrugged as well, taking a sip from his mug before handing the other mug to his second in command.

Opening the paper bag a bit, the blond smiled when he had took a noseful of the bread’s wonderful aroma. Taking a single piece and giving it a generous bite, Adrien took a sip from his coffee and turned around to recline on the countertop.

Nino took the piece of bread that he remembered was the baker’s new recipe and gobbled it down in a few seconds; turning around and looking at the door behind them and eyeing the people walking around outside and going around doing what they do every day.

A smile crept up Nino’s lips as he watched a boy dragging his mother along the street, seemingly pointing towards something that caught his eye.

Taking one last sip from his mug, Adrien took another piece of bread from the paper bag and put it in his mouth. Placing the mug on the countertop, the blond made his way towards the coat hanger by the front door and robed himself of his dull grey coat.

“I’ll be goin’ to the greenland for a while,” taking the bread out of his mouth, Adrien pushed his arms within the sleeves of his coat and pushed the door open.

Taking the bread into his mouth, the blond turned to look at Nino with a smile; before making his way at the back of the Cat’s Paw to look for his automobile.

The bespectacled man shook his head as he took another piece of bread from inside of the paper bag, taking a bite off of it and taking a sip from his coffee; Nino followed Adrien’s car with his eyes until he could no longer see it.

 ---

“First that damned Easterner smuggles my moonshine and now some sap in a uniform comes around sniffin’ for a promotion,” mumbling to himself as he drove along the streets of Missouri, Adrien sighed in disbelief as he felt his temples throb.

He recalled not drinking anything from last night, but this damn headache kept coming back again and again.

Parking by a tree near an open clearing that was known as a park, Adrien exited his vehicle and made his way towards the public area; which was littered with small children, their parents, couples going out on strolls and even some elderly folks enjoying the great weather outside.

Pocketing his hands inside of his coat, Adrien took a seat at the bench nearest to him; sighing as he stared at his reflection at the river that flowed across him.

Scrutinizing himself in the slightly murky water, the blond hadn’t noticed that someone had sat right beside him; only taking note of that fact when ducks had started swarming towards this certain part of the river.

“You don’t mind, do you?” a woman probably the same age as he was asked curiously with a smile; her bluish-black hair tied into an elegant ponytail that hung lazily on her right shoulder had a luster akin to that of fine metal.

Her puffy pink cheeks betrayed the maturity that her brilliant blue eyes possessed. The small amount of freckles that littered the side of her nose was barely perceptible if one did not look hard enough.

But what truly enamored the blond was the deep red shade that her lips had. They were so out of place from the relatively innocent get up that the woman had exuded; her lips felt powerful and drew him close like a magnet, like he just wanted to eat her up right at this point in time-

“I’ll take that as a yes, then?” she giggled, which snapped Adrien from his staring and made him blink his eyes a few times.

“A-ah, yes,” the blond nodded his head, trying his best to look at the ducks instead of the woman beside him.

“Wonderful weather, huh?” Adrien spoke up, regaining some of his former libido.

“Yes, quite,” the raven haired woman smiled as she threw more crumbs at the ducks that were swarming near her.

“Do you often come here, miss-?” the blond took a side glance at the woman and noticed her stifle a giggle.

“Marinette. Marinette Dupain,” she answered with a smile as she ceased her crumb throwing to watch the ducks eat their fill.

Sealing the paper bag and placing it snugly on her thighs, Marinette turned to look at the blond “As a matter of fact, I do,”

“And you? Mister?”

“Felix,” Adrien smiled smugly “Felix Agr-“

“Agreste,” the raven haired woman finished for him, which left the blond mildly surprised “Y-yes, that’s right,”

Resting her elbows on her thighs and cupping her face using her hands, Marinette smiled a bit cheekily “Everyone in Missouri knows that name,”

“Heh,” the blond nodded in agreement “Right you are,”

“What brings you out here in the greenland this fine day, mister Agreste?” not breaking eye contact with the blond for even a second, Marinette’s eyes shone with a dangerous glint; which confused Adrien for a moment.

“Just taking a breather,” the blond lied “As you may already know, I run the finest hock shop in the whole city,”

“You run the only hock shop in the whole city,” Marinette deadpanned and stifled a giggle when Adrien had tried to retort but no words escaped his mouth.

“Tell me, Felix,” the raven haired woman straightened her posture and opened the paper bag to take some pieces of bread to give to the ducks again.

“Who is Adrien Agreste to you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you guys enjoyed that!
> 
>  **Joe** : coffee  
>  **coppers** : Policemen  
>  **balled up** : confused  
>  **Don't know from nothing** : doesn't have any information  
>  **Chin music** : gossip  
>  **hock shop** : Pawnshop  
>  **bulls** : Policemen or Law-enforcement officers  
>  **beating one's gums** : to partake in idle chatter  
>  **greenland** : a park  
>  **sap** : a fool or an idiot


End file.
